Car rental in Montenegro

If you want to fully enjoy the diversity of landscapes in Montenegro, then you need to rent a car and start on a journey over this small homey country. You will not have to waste your time to change buses. You can visit all the landmarks, see any towns and villages, and explore the Montenegrin way of life. Economy car rental cost in summer is from €30 to €50 per day, including insurance. In winter, the same vehicle will cost from €10 to €40 per day.

You must proceed with caution on mountain roads where you can encounter pieces of rock. When travelling through the countryside, watch out for cattle to avoid collisions.

Insurance and documents

To hire a vehicle in Montenegro, you’ll need your foreign passport and driving license. The driver must be over 22 years old and have at least 2 years of driving experience. You may have to pay a deposit from €50 to €300. If you decide to leave the territory of Montenegro in your hire car, you must inform your rental agent first. You’ll be provided with the green card international insurance.

There are no long toll roads in Montenegro, except for the Sozina Tunnel. Connecting the coast and Podgorica, it runs from the town of Sutomore through Sozina Mountain to the village of Virpazar near Lake Skadar. The amount of the fee is €2.50. Another toll section is on the road running from Herceg Novi to Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The amount of one-way toll is €3 there.

Peoples used to pay environmental tax at border crossings of the country. But this “eco-tax” was abolished in 2012.
Car rental cost in Montenegro includes:

• Theft Protection (TP)
  
• Third-Party Liability Insurance (TPL)
  
• Equipment kit (first aid kit, emergency warning triangle, high-visibility vest, etc.)
  
• Winter accessories from November to March (winter tyres and snow chains)
  
• VAT
  
• Airport tax.

Basic insurance and Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) do not cover damages to wheels, windshield, undercarriage or interior. All these damages are usually covered by Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW).

Filling stations and fuel

Filling stations in Montenegro offer diesel, petrol 98 and 95. They sell only unleaded gasoline. You can transport petrol in a portable fuel container in your vehicle, but it is not necessary in Montenegro. There are petrol stations every 20 to 70 kilometres.

The rental agreement stipulates that the vehicle must be returned with the same level of fuel you picked it up with.
You can fill up your hire car at any filling station as the fuel quality is good everywhere. If we start nit-picking, then we recommend that you avoid the EKO Petrol stations.

All filling stations have personnel that will help you fill up the vehicle. Just tell the attendant the fuel type and quantity in litres or the amount you want to spend. You can also say "full", and the attendant will fill the full tank till nozzle shut-off.

Stay near the car until the attendant finishes filling up and the meter shows the final cost. You can pay either to the attendant in cash or at the cashier's desk.

All fuel stations in the country accept payments by Visa и MasterCard.

Traffic rules features

• The low beam must be on day and night in any season on Montenegrin roads. Children under 5 must travel in the back in fitted child seats; children under the age of 12 are not allowed in the front seat. Seat belts must be worn by the driver and passengers in all seats equipped with seat belts by the manufacturer. All drivers must use a hands-free phone while operating a car with both hands on the steering wheel. The use of studded tyres and radar detectors is illegal.
• It is critical to observe speed limits. In built-up areas, the speed limit is 30mph (50km/h). On major roads outside towns, you can drive at up to 30mph (50km/h).
• If a school bus stops at a bus stop in front of your car, you must not overtake it when children are boarding or alighting according to the traffic regulations of Montenegro.
• When entering a roundabout (traffic circle), you should give way to traffic already on it.
• And, perhaps, the main unwritten rule is to respect all road users. When another vehicle enters the road right in front of you or stops to let passengers board or alight, just give them time. It will take only a few seconds of your life. The Montenegrins take it very easy and do not see any problem in it. Even if a driver stops to talk to a pedestrian, the traffic waits till they finish without honking horns or losing patience. Please wait, too. In Montenegro, human communication is above anything else.

Fines

Traffic officers are not allowed to collect money paid as fines at the scene. If a foreign driver violates traffic rules, the police officer will issue a fine notice and confiscate driver's license, international passport, and vehicle registration certificate at their own discretion. Persons charged with a motoring offence will receive a citation indicating a court date, time, and location. This state authority will determine the amount of fine to be paid. The road traffic offender is given details for payment by postal order or bank transfer. If the offender fills out the necessary forms and pays the fine immediately, the judge will return the confiscated documents on the spot.

The above bureaucratic hurdle can be bypassed. In case of a minor violation, the Montenegrin road police will eagerly meet you halfway, and chances are you will manage to “come to terms” with the traffic officer and pay only half of the fine without paperwork.

Bear in mind that if you commit a motoring offence when operating a hire car, this may create problems for you and for the rental company that provided the vehicle. In general, depending on the type of violation, the fine can vary from €40 to €2,000.